Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

Back to REVIEWS
review
Cleaning products
Muc-off Silicon ShineMuc-Off Silicon Shine

Muc-off Silicon Shine

7
by Shaun Audane
UPDATED Thu, Oct 15, 2015 04:24

First Published Jun 5, 2011

0
£5.99

VERDICT:

7
10
Convenient aerosol polish with long-lasting sheen but furniture waxes are just as fast and considerably cheaper
Weight: 
0g
Contact: 
www.muc-off.com
How we test

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

What the road.cc scores mean

Good scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.

  • Exceptional
  • Excellent
  • Very Good
  • Good
  • Quite good
  • Average
  • Not so good
  • Poor
  • Bad
  • Appalling

I've been pleasantly surprised by Muc Off's silicone shine. Dubbed the workshop in a can, it harmlessly restores that seductive showroom lustre to everything from Chrome to carbon. That said, good quality furniture polishes are markedly cheaper and will achieve comparable effects without betraying clandestine front-room fettling.

Silicone Shine's exact composition isn't clear but it seems to be a blend of silicone polymers that deep clean, leaving behind a protective film of dry lubricant and a fruity cherry odour. In practice the solvent gobbles light grime and spray up without hesitation but grubby mountain, cross and winter bikes will need the time honoured 'full works' wash and dry first. Shake the Silicone Shine for thirty seconds or so before spraying liberally in short bursts, working methodically around the bike(s). Buff to a high gloss using a lint free cloth and you're done.

Even after a quick once-over, the Univega positively gleamed as if someone had given the livery additional coats of rich, glossy lacquer. The transformation of my ageing but worthy resin bodied track pump from dour to delectable was no less remarkable and it breathes new, protective life into leather saddles, bar wrap, carbon, chrome while attracting remarkably little dirt. Successive wet road outings have left their calling card along the forks, chainstays and bottom bracket but these vanish with the first caress of a clean cloth or kitchen paper.

Such qualities are useful when it comes to storing season specific mounts (e.g. crossers, summer road bike, winter trainer etc) seeing them emerge more or less ready to go. Playing devil's advocate, WD40 and similar water displacers go on in a flash and do a pretty good job of masking chrome and other vulnerable surfaces so long as you accept they attract more grime and steer clear of suspension/seals.

Verdict

Convenient aerosol polish with long-lasting sheen but furniture waxes are just as fast and considerably cheaper

road.cc test report

Make and model: Muc-off Silicon Shine

Size tested: 500ml

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

"Fresh from the Muc-Off Research and Development Lab comes the

ultimate bicycle detailer! Silicon Shine not only leaves your bike looking

and smelling divine but it's also an amazing friction reducer for suspension

parts. Spray it on to your fork stantions and shock to reduce resistance

Silicon Shine not only repels water but dries completely, leaving a

protective, non sticky and ULTRA SHINY layer that will extend the lifetime

of your bikes finishes by preventing the build up of dirt and grime.

means that treated parts and surfaces will be easier to maintain and will

even stay cleaner in-between washes."

Refreshingly faithful to the claims.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Ideal for use on off-road fenders to reduce dirt build up

Effortless application - leaves a dry, long lasting shine

Restores colour and shine to all parts

Colourless, Non Staining Formula

Available in a 500ml aerosol

Instant friction reducer

Cherry Pop fragrance

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
7/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
7/10

Seems notably better than most products of this type

Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10

Better than I was expecting.

Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
7/10
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
7/10

Nice to use.

Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

To my surprise, Silicon shine is very effective, breathing new life into plastics, genuinely accentuating the beauty of carbon and metallic frame finishes-effortlessly. It doesn't overly attract dirt and seems perfect for dressing seasonal bikes for hibernation.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Quick, easy and effective.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Not completely sold on the "Cherry Pop" fragrance and good quality furniture polishes will achieve similar effects.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Quite probably

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes, in the main

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 37  Height: 1m 81  Weight: 70 kilos

I usually ride: Rough Stuff Tourer Based around 4130 Univega mtb Frameset  My best bike is: 1955 Holdsworth Road Path and several others including cross & traditional road

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: cyclo cross, commuting, touring, fixed/singlespeed, mtb,

Muc-off Silicon Shine
Muc-Off
Shaun Audane

Shaun Audane is a freelance writer/product tester with over twenty-eight years riding experience, the last twelve (120,000 miles) spent putting bikes and kit through their paces for a variety of publications. Previous generations of his family worked at manufacturing's sharp end, thus Shaun can weld, has a sound understanding of frame building practice and a preference for steel or titanium framesets.
Citing Richard Ballantine and an Au pair as his earliest cycling influences, he is presently writing a cycling book with particular focus upon women, families and disabled audiences (Having been a registered care manager and coached children at Herne Hill Velodrome in earlier careers)

Latest Comments